


let me be the one

by aarobron



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, a desperately in love puppy, inner monologue, literally no dialogue at all, robert is a puppy, set in abuse storyline
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2017-06-11
Packaged: 2018-11-12 23:29:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11172348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aarobron/pseuds/aarobron
Summary: And Robert knows that. He reads Aaron like an open book these days, even when his walls are ten foot high and netted with barbed wire. It’s scary and not at all unwelcome, so he accepts the warmth and safety Robert provides without thinking too much about it.+++aaron reflects on the change he's seen in robert.and he likes it.(set around the time of the trial - late march/early april 2016. i'm doing a rewatch and it gives me feelings)





	let me be the one

**Author's Note:**

> hello all! brief mentions of gordon here but nothing terrible explicit.
> 
> only short but i just wanted to get it out
> 
> enjoy xo

The thing about Robert, Aaron thinks, is that he’s such a huge person.

Everything about him has heads turning when he walks in the room – whether it’s his golden looks, his golden smile or his golden personality.

He takes up the space, laughs to fill the corners and shines brighter than the sun. And he could charm anyone into bed (a fact Aaron knows all too well, seeing as he’s been on the receiving end of it a few times), despite the fact he’s got a tongue sharp enough to cut deeper than any knife (Aaron’s been there, too).

But he’s nothing like that now. When he walks into a room, he doesn’t demand attention – just seeks Aaron out, eyes finding his and body gravitating towards him. He stands at the bar, offering a small smile and a soft gaze, fingers tapping out a rhythm on the dark wood until Aaron concedes by dipping his head and shifting an inch closer.

Robert still attracts attention, sure. There’s no way he wouldn’t, with his tailored suits and strong stance. But he doesn’t revel in and he isn’t smug about it – not anymore, at least.

He just sits, patient and waiting, opposite Aaron in a corner booth with their knees knocking and fingers millimetres apart. He speaks in hushed tones about how kind and brave and strong Aaron is. The younger man has to bite back the _you are too – more than you know_ that stains the tip of his tongue.

Sometimes, Robert will tell Aaron about his day – about a new scrap contact or Adam making a fool of himself or Victoria trying out a new recipe. These words are bright like sunshine but still dripping with the fondness he can’t seem to shake these days. His eyes are shining and hands wild; less telling the story and more letting Aaron live it himself.

There are times when he won’t come to the pub at all – instead texting to say that Victoria and Adam are on a date, to offer tea and a film night. Aaron likes these days best, more than happy to get away from his mum. She means well and he _knows_ that, but the constant attention clouds his mind and overwhelms him. More often than not, he runs out of ways to tell her that he’s okay. 

And Robert knows that. He reads Aaron like an open book these days, even when his walls are ten foot high and netted with barbed wire. It’s scary and not at all unwelcome, so he accepts the warmth and safety Robert provides without thinking too much about it. 

Aaron’s not the only one who’s noticed the change in Robert – Chas had mentioned it with a strained resemblance of a smile, and Paddy had been shooting them suspicious glances from across the pub. Even Cain looked surlier than normal at the sight of them, but Aaron had begged all of the Dingles over Sunday lunch to _please leave it_.

He just really likes this version of Robert. 

And he’s not stupid; he knows why the older man is acting like this – even if he doesn’t believe it. _I love you_. It’d be easier to not believe, to take everything Robert says with a pinch of salt, but there was a painfully earnest look on his face when he’d murmured it, a truth to his tone that Aaron had only heard once. 

So he tries to believe it, despite the horrible voice in his head that sounds suspiciously like Gordon’s telling him he’s not easy to love. He lets Robert smile at him softly, lets him tell jokes, to draw a smile on his face. 

He lets Robert take care of him, but only because he’s not treating him like glass at the same time. 

And when he lets himself think about it, he’s excited for the future.

It’s the first time in his life that he actually is.

**Author's Note:**

> come chat with me on tumblr @ [aarobron](http://aarobron.tumblr.com/) xo


End file.
